The Distant Train
by AmyAnneJenkins
Summary: The distant train draws closer. Two decades after it all began, the double lives of Lee and Amanda are coming to an end- sooner than expected thanks to a bad intel at a soiree. Three agent faces in the night, secrets revealed as the smell of Yankee Doodle Pot Pie wafts, top secret meetings at Pilgrim's Peach Landing and Marsh of the Mellow Man, and the Shrouded Sabbatical group.
1. Chapter 1

There are few things that always seem to gnaw at me when watching the show. This is my attempt to deal with some of those- some trivial, some not so much. For one thing, I wish we could see the storyline of Lee in the cab as Amanda falls to the ground with her groceries, umbrella in hand. Another thing, if they decided to keep their marriage a secret for the boys safety, why does Lee start coming around more often anyway?

And that's where I begin to put my take on what the future might have held. We hear of spies who lived double lives all their lives, their families never knowing they were spies. Why not Lee and Amanda? This story begins in 2007. Lee is about six months from the mandatory age for field agents to come out of the field. (That's based on the real life law- it changed in 1990 from 55 to 57, and was at least still in place a few years back when I started this story.) This moment in their lives when they could both retire seems like a logical time that they might start to think about their marriage becoming public- to me at least.

 **Disclaimers**

This is my first fan fiction, one I've worked off and on for several years on- and really want to continue exploring more past this story. We'll see if that happens or not.

Scarecrow and Mrs King and it's characters are copyright Warner Brothers/ Shoot the Moon Productions. This story, take on their future, is mine and should not be re-distributed without permission.

All other characters are purely fictional.

Episode references include: The First Time, Service Above and Beyond, Saved by the Bells, The Times They are A Changin', The Legend of Das Geisterschloss, Playing Possom, Burn Out, Welcome to America Mr. Brand, Reach for the Sky, Playing for Keeps, It's in the Water, Night Crawler, Do You Take this Spy?, Mission of Gold, and others I'm sure I've forgotton.

This story is for entertainment purposes only. I hope you enjoy.

 **One More Note**

There's bits of what graphic designers and artists refer to as white space in this story- areas I did not fill in. It's intentional. In part, because this story would be way too long. But more so, because I don't feel it's needed. And mostly, because I believe you can fill in the blanks yourself with your own ideas of how a particular conversation might go down or what a letter might contain. Have fun letting your eyes rest as your imagination fills in the missing spaces.

* * *

"A penny for your thoughts," Amanda asked Lee as they laid in bed curled up in each other's arms.

"It'll cost you a quarter, inflation." Lee sighed and, after a long pause, he rolled over to look into the eyes of the woman he'd loved for so long. He took another deep breath. "I missed this. Being on desk duty for two months and the boys being around this summer, we just have not had enough of this."

"I know," she whispered as he kissed her. As he pulled back, he saw tears forming in her eyes. "Me too," she managed to get out as he placed a hand on her cheek and wiped away the tear. "I've missed going away with you, even if it is work related. I'm so thankful we aren't undercover as brother and sister like we were on the Marvelous Marvin case." She kissed his palm and smiled at him.

"I know. I cherish the time we get to spend as husband and wife even if we're the only ones who know it's more than a cover story. With this case all wrapped up, we've got more than twenty-four hours here together and the only thing we have to do is attend the party Senator Long invited us to."

"What do you want to do?" Amanda asked.

"Hold you" was his only reply as he tightened his hold on his wife. "We can go for a stroll later."

They'd been to Nashville before. Sometimes it felt like there wasn't a big city anymore where they hadn't been. Since the boys had gone off to school, they'd taken the opportunity to do more traveling taking cases all over the states, and for that matter, the world. Yet, they often longed to visit small towns and quietly use their investigative skills to simply get to know the town and its stories. "Someday," Lee said as they walked along the downtown streets. They'd had lunch at a local cafe and were now walking around doing nothing special- except spending the day together.

"Soon," Amanda replied. "I can't believe we'll be out of the field in 6 months. I can't believe we'll finally be living together as husband and wife instead of sneaking around or taking every out of town assignment where we could _pretend_ we were married." Lee smiled content to listen to Amanda ramble as he heard a train off in the distance. She continued, "some days it feels like just yesterday when you grabbed me at that train station. Then there are the days that I miss my husband so and it feels like an eternity. There are days I think about all we've sacrificed through the years and then I remember all the good we've done."

They strolled along for another hour or so before heading back to the hotel to get ready for the evening's soirée.


	2. Chapter 2

"Lee?"

Lee turned around and swallowed hard. What he saw stopped him in his tracks. "Jaime?"

"I thought that was you. It's been ages, but you just looked so familiar. It took me a minute to figure it out. How are you?"

"I'm good," Lee said as he scanned the room looking for his wife wondering how bad things were about to get. "What are you doing here?"

Jaime noticed that Lee seemed a bit nervous. _'Maybe he's nervous because he is the 'ex' boyfriend. But aren't he and my mom still working together? Maybe he's searching out someone he needs to talk to about a film,'_ Jaime thought as he watched Lee. "I got called in to work as part of the security detail at the last minute. My superiors thought it would be a good idea since I knew the Senator's son. I work for the FBI now."

"Do you know the Senator?" Lee asked, though he knew the answer, trying to stall still unable to spot his wife.

Jaime wondered why he wasn't getting the usual response and barrage of questions when he mentioned he worked for the FBI but was glad for the reprieve. "Yeah, I," Jaime started to explain.

"Jaime, Lee, come here, let me formally introduce you," the Senator interrupted Jaime mid-sentence.

' _Uh oh,'_ Lee thought as he caught sight of his wife next to Senator Long. He leaned over to Jaime as they walked over to the Senator, "Jaime, it's about to get really weird for us and we both need to keep our agent faces on. I'll explain as soon as we can get away from everyone."

"What are you," Jaime started to ask what Lee was talking about but paused when he saw his mom.

Amanda looked at her husband and then at her son. She cursed the inaccurate information they had received. Jaime was supposed to be on assignment at a gala in New York. _'Agent Face,'_ Amanda thought, _'here goes'_.

Lee walked over to his wife and wrapped his arm around her.

"Jaime, I see you met Lee Steadman and this is his wife Amanda. Mr. and Mrs. Steadman, meet Jaime King. I don't suppose you all managed to meet each other there in your circles in Washington. Jaime, these two have been helping me with a situation around here. When I inquired, I was told you were tied up with another case. I sure would have loved to have you on the case too."

Jaime marveled that he could comprehend all the Senator was saying while he looked at his mom and Lee. He could see the love in their eyes and the all too knowing _'_ agent face'. ' _That's what Lee had called it.'_ Some things were starting to make sense but they were still all jumbled. "Thanks sir, when they told me I was needed here, I was glad I'd managed to wrap up my last case early." The first realization hit him, "Lee, Amanda, your reputation precedes you. I would have been honored to work with you. "

Lee choked up at Jaime's last words. It would have been Lee's honor. Amanda squeezed Lee's hand sensing his emotions. "From what Senator Long has told me about you, we'd have loved to work with you," Lee said hoping to portray how genuinely he would love to work with his stepson.

Amanda was so proud watching Jaime manage to keep it together in this moment. She and Lee already knew that he had quite a reputation himself for being a sharp young agent. Amanda wondered about the smile Jaime was flashing them. _'Is he putting the pieces together? How is he going to react when he can step out of agent mode?'_ Amanda didn't know and she'd just have to wait to find out. Amanda thought about how it always seemed Jaime managed to take after Lee even though Lee was never visibly around. Jaime looked so sharp in his tux and that grin could charm anyone.

"Senator," someone in the crowd called.

"Excuse me, I'm being paged," the Senator said as he walked away.

"Jaime," Amanda and Lee said in Unison.

Lee looked at his wife with that unperceivable look that meant _I've got this_. "Jaime, I said as we walked over here that I would explain. I know you are working but we're actually done with our work. I think Amanda and I are going to walk out to the veranda, when you can get away and you're ready, we'll try to explain out there."

"Yeah, I'd follow you out there now but I need to make another sweep. I'll see if I can take a break after that." Jaime looked at his mom. Then, he looked at Lee again. He could see a bit of fear in their eyes. He realized that some huge secret or secrets had just been brought to light and they must be worried about how he'd react. He looked at his mom trying to portray the love he felt for her, "It's ok. I'm grown. Just be honest with me, okay?" He spoke in a low voice.

Amanda just shook her head as she looked into her son's eyes. There was such strength in his eyes. She realized then how much the things they had been through had made him such a strong, kind, and considerate man.

"Excuse me," Jaime said louder than their hushed private conversation as he walked away.

Lee and Amanda exchanged a glance before Lee led his wife out to the veranda. "Oh god, Amanda, I didn't know what to do when he came over to me. I'm surprised he remembered what I even looked like. Then again, given the last time he saw me, I'm probably seared into his memory." Lee recalled the moment when he'd finally gotten Jaime away from the kidnappers.

"Lee," Amanda said shaking him loose from that dark memory. "Clearly he wasn't scarred for life if he came up to talk to you."

"All I could do when I saw you talking to the Senator as he called us over was warn Jaime it was going to get weird, promise to explain, and then tell him we needed to keep our agent faces on. I'm so glad he managed to do that better than I did."

"This isn't how we planned this, is it? Where do we start? How do we explain it to him here?" Amanda asked.

"I guess we do what we do best. We'll figure it out as we go along and we'll do it together," Lee replied. He wrapped his arms around Amanda and then pulled away. "Do you think we should tell him about us now or act like the marriage was just a part of our cover story?"

Amanda wrapped her arms around her husband with a slight giddy feeling- she knew the charades were coming to an end. "Our secrets are too intertwined to keep them separate. Besides, he asked for honesty and he deserves that now."

Meanwhile, Jaime was making his rounds walking through the venue with purpose. He forced himself to focus on the task at hand using a mental checklist of all the things he needed to look for or check. He did allow himself to smile when _'Like Mother, Like Son'_ occurred to him. _'Or was it Like Mother and step-dad, like son.'_ He wasn't sure but he was going to find out. _'Tonight,'_ he promised himself, _'but not until I finish the task at hand'_. And with that Jaime finished his sweep of the party.

"Gosh Amanda, look at him." Lee said as he caught a glimpse of his stepson at the party. "Despite all we've done to keep our work a secret, he's followed in your footsteps. Watching him in there tonight, he's as good as you are in a pinch. He appeared so calm."

"I couldn't help but wonder in there how well he wears a tux- just like his stepdad. And that smile, oh that smile. Somehow, I think he's gotten your charm." She led her husband over to a seating area off to the far end of the veranda, "maybe this area will be more private."

"I don't know, there are still all the cameras."

Jaime walked over to several other agents. "I'm going to walk the perimeter and then I'm going to take a break. Think you guys can cover for me until I get back?" When he saw Agent Beamon nod his head, Jaime went to get a drink for him and two more for Lee and his mom. He shook his head a bit wondering if the freshman Agent Beaman would pick-up on the fact that he was getting three drinks instead of just one for himself _. 'Well, at least that wanna-be womanizer won't surmise I'm trying to pick up some woman.'_

As he walked the perimeter, he started with the veranda- the opposite side of the veranda that Lee and Amanda were on so that he could finish where they were. Jaime tapped his ear piece as he looked over at them trying to let them know he was still working. Lee smiled at the gesture- how many times had he left Amanda inside a party or outside on a veranda while he walked the perimeter? Of course, she rarely stayed there and, as time went on, he took her with her on those perimeter searches. He loved that even though they were working, he could play it off as a couple just out for a stroll.

As he walked, Jaime so wanted to put the pieces together. _'So, they are the incomparable and legendary Lee and Amanda. Why hadn't he figured that out? He'd come close to meeting them once on assignment, but they'd been nowhere around. Mom still says she works for a film company. . . so had she been working for the agency all this time? From all the legends, Mom and Lee have worked together a long time so they have to be really close. Mom and Lee. They seem to really love each other. Are they together? Was their marriage a cover story or the truth? They certainly seemed comfortable in the role. Think, Jaime, think.'_ He thought back to when he'd met Lee. _'Wait was that Lee at the gym that day? Could it be? Clearly if mom knew him back then or shortly thereafter, the film company was all a lie. Mom was a spy? If they knew at school, I would have been the coolest kid in school. Oh! That would not have gone over good. Maybe we were too young to know the truth. But then, what about her and Lee? When did they quit dating? Oh yeah, it wasn't long after I was kidnapped at the pizza parlor out with Sally, Chad, and Phillip.'_ Jaime continued his walk. Lee and Amanda's relationship, the love he saw in their eyes, it continued to be foremost in his mind and was quickly becoming the most burning question of all.

As he approached the veranda, he took a deep breath. He'd come to the conclusion that his mom must have had good reasons to keep her secret and the more he thought about how that must have killed his mother, the more he saw her love for Phillip and him. ' _Maybe that's the clue to figuring out their relationship as well'._ Rather than stand behind the bushes, he stepped forward closer to the truth.

As Jaime walked up to them, he looked towards the camera. Lee and Amanda smiled. "Same thought," Lee said.

"Lee and Amanda, I'd love to learn more about the truth behind all the legends. I'm on a break, would you like to take a walk?"

Amanda looked over at Lee fully in cover, "I'd love too." But as she looked back at her son, the façade was already coming down. Jaime could see she really wanted to talk to him and he needed to hear the truth from her- and Lee.

After they were out of sight, Jaime stopped and put his arms around his mother. "Mom, I want you to know that I love you, no matter what. And Lee, I've pieced enough together to know that you've kept my mother safe all these years, for that I'll never be able to thank you enough. It's obvious you care a great deal about my mother."

"And you kids and your grandmother." Lee added a bit choked up.

"Oh, and Lee, thanks for that word of warning before Senator Long introduced me to my mother, one-half of the legendary Lee-Amanda spy duo. I can't imagine how I would have reacted otherwise."

"Jaime, I'm just sorry this is how and when you found out. Clearly you've figured out some things on your own. I'm not fond of the word 'spy' and certainly our roles have changed over the years, but one thing you need to know is that while most of the legend isn't true, your mother is a legend. She's amazing at her job." Lee paused, watching his wife blush and their son smiling at her. "I don't know where or how to start. Keeping this secret and lying to you boys and your grandmother has been hard on your mom, well really, both of us. Do you want me to start from the beginning, hit the highlights, or do you want to ask the questions?"

Jaime looked Lee in the eyes. He could see that Lee cared very much for him. He suddenly knew for sure the answer to the question that had been nagging him, but decided to step out on a limb and ask them about it. "You two are married, aren't you? How long?"

Lee wasn't all that shocked that Amanda's son would pick up on a relationship being more than what you see on the surface. He smiled at Amanda smiled. The secret they hated the most was out. Lee sighed. Now came the hard part, Jaime would soon know how long they've kept this secret. Lee ached at the thought of the time he could have spent with Jaime growing up and what they had deprived the boys of over the years. "19 years- almost 20."

Jaime walked a little further taking it all in. He found a place they could sit under the stars and laid down on the grass. The ground was cool even though it was really pretty warm for winter time. He looked up at the stars but found he wasn't marveling at their beauty but rather the revelations this night had brought. "Mom, Dad," he gulped at the word overcome with emotion realizing he had a stepdad who seemed to really care about him, "How? I guess I need to know how all these secrets came to be."

Lee began with the fateful package and the train station.


	3. Chapter 3

On the flight home, Lee and Amanda finagled a seat next to Jaime with empty rows surrounding them. Amanda knew that any Beaman had a thing for blondes. So, when it was the Freshman Agent Beamon seated beside them, she simply pointed out the blonde sitting next to Jaime. She suspected that, while normally Jaime might have enjoyed sitting next to such a pretty woman, women were not on his mind on this trip.

Amanda sighed contently when Jaime agreed to trade seats with him. "Mom, was that your black-belt in confusion working on Beaman?"

Lee laughed, "Where did you hear that term? I haven't heard that said about your mom in years. She's still got it though," he winked at his wife.

Amanda chuckled, "Well you know, somewhere along the way, I learned that it was a gift and I often reminded a certain two teenage boys that I could use that black-belt against them."

"How did you know Beaman likes blondes?" Jaime paused a second and smiled, "Hey, he's the Freshman agent whose dad worked at the agency before moving over to the FBI himself. I met him and his wife, a younger blonde woman, once." He looked from Amanda to Lee and back around again, "ooohhhh," he whispered.

Lee chuckled remembering the days that Amanda responded to revelations about the world behind IFF that way.

"I can neither confirm nor deny your suspicions, but I have my ways," Amanda retorted.

Jaime smiled. He felt warm inside knowing he was sitting next to two people who loved him more than he'd ever known all these years.

Lee laughed as Amanda began to fall fast asleep on his shoulder. "She's gotten really good at sleeping on planes over the years."

"Lee, what was the worst day in the line of duty?"

"There were too many days to count. In the early years before we were married, there were times your mom was kidnapped often to get to me. I always felt like I would crumble but I knew I needed to be strong for her. I shot at her once," he chuckled a little. "I think that was the day I realized how amazing she is in the field, she saved my life that day. It wasn't the first time and it certainly wasn't the last time. That was the case that gave me the most regret. All the other bad stuff that's happened over the year, it wasn't of my own doing. As agents, we really have to work to remember that, especially on the really bad days. But, on that case, my cover was as a drunk, washed up agent. Your mom was always my champion even in the early years when I'd try to push her away from the business or from me. I should have just told her what was going on but back then I thought I could protect her by only telling her what I thought was 'need to know'. Your mom came by the bar," Lee paused. Jaime watched as the memory seemed to wash over Lee. Lee's whole expression changed. "I needed to get her out of there; I wanted to try to keep her safe." Jaime could tell Lee needed to remind himself of that. "I slapped her. I've never regretted anything more in my entire life except for putting you boys in harm's way. The look on your mom's face. . . it haunts me still today. I nearly broke cover right then and there to explain. I did try to apologize then but one of the suspects was still to close. It would have only put your mom in more danger, so I kept up the ruse. I don't guess I've ever forgiven myself for that. But, you know you're mom, she was so quick to forgive me. For me, personally, that was the one of the very worst days in all these years. I had so much to learn about having and being a partner and even more so being a friend. One of our biggest hopes for you is that you would have a partner that was much a friend as a partner, someone that you could really trust and share your life with- even if the two of you didn't go down the aisle."

"I love how you say 'our' like I was your son all along," Jaime smiled. "I hope that Phillip can understand that you never abandoned us, that you love us just as if we'd known you all along."

"I'm sure I'll say this a million times. I think that's been the absolute hardest thing over the years. Not waking up next to my wife all those mornings was hard, but not being there for my stepsons often felt nearly impossible. When you met me officially, we were already engaged and then married. We knew we would be keeping the marriage a secret- at least for the time being, to keep you safe. But, I so wanted to be a part of your lives. Your mom and I decided, wrongly as you soon found out the hard way, that maybe I could at least come by every once in a while. Boy, were we wrong. That's the other thing I don't think I'll ever forgive myself for- putting you, and your brother, in danger like that just because I wanted to be a part of your lives. Hollinsworth tried to use you to get to your mom and I; I can tell you it would have worked had we not gotten around it. I would have given anything to make sure you are safe. It was a long time before I could even look at myself in a mirror after that. As much as I couldn't live without your mom, I also knew I couldn't live with the danger an open relationship, well, or our marriage, would put you in."

"Oh, Lee. Thank you. Thank you for all the sacrifices you and mom made for us."

Amanda gave Lee a light squeeze and he realized she'd heard at least part of their conversation. "Jaime, it was the least I could do. I want you to know that I am so proud of the man that you've become. I know that I deprived you of having a man around the house, clearly you became quite a man without me around, but I was never deprived of watching you boys grow up. But you know, you have every right to be angry at me or your mom. I wouldn't blame you if you hated me."

"What? No way. You kept your secrets with very good reasons. I'll do my best to make sure that Phillip sees that. He'll get it, at least a little, I know, because we've talked about my career and what field work would be like with a family."

"I love you," Lee said.

Jaime thought about it. He barely knew the man sitting by him, but he knew, "I love you too, Dad."

The two sat in companionable silence until they came close to landing. Lee nudged his wife to wake her, "No, Lee, I don't want to go home, hold me longer." He leaned in closer; he couldn't have her spilling everything unknowingly. "Sweetheart, wake up. The plane's getting ready to land. I promise, I'll come home with you tonight."

"Are you going to tap on the kitchen window or come in the back door?" she asked quietly.

"A-man-da," Lee exclaimed exacerbated that she wouldn't wake up yet thankful she'd gotten some sleep.

Hearing her name and the way Lee said it, Amanda woke up. She sat up and then realized Jaime was sitting beside her. "Oh, Jaime, I used that black belt so that we could sit together and talk and then I fell asleep. I'm sorry."

"Mom, it's fine. Lee kept me company and we talked. I'll call Phillip on the way to the office to finish my debriefing report. I guess I could have done my paperwork sometime between the party and landing, but I just did not feel like it. When I get done, I'll come by the house."

"We have to go by the office ourselves. Thankfully, our written reports are done. Laptops have really helped cut the debriefing and paperwork completion time down when a mission is over, but we still have a verbal debriefing, agency policy," Lee said.

"Hah, that's why you kept me around in those early years, you used to hate computers," Amanda retorted.

"That's before they meant more time with my wife and less time in the debriefing room." Lee smiled that dimpled smile that let him get away with getting out of his typing all those years ago.

"But, Jaime, if you get done before we do, you've got a key, go on inside. You be careful and I love you."

"I love you too, Mom".

* * *

Amanda and Lee went up to the Q Bureau first when they arrived at the agency. Lee closed the door and locked it. He kissed his wife and smiled at her. They both felt like part of the weight of their secrets had been lifted. Lee looked at Amanda, "okay, so Jaime knows and we'll tell your Mom and Phillip as soon as possible. But, listen, here's what I'm thinking right now. . . . I really want all this madness to end. I can retire anytime now of course; we both can. I'm thinking we get out from under all the secrets, we tell Billy, and I suppose Francine by extension, the truth- that we're married. If they let us stay in the field, we'll figure things out from there. Right now, in this moment, I don't even care. I'd rather be out of the field, even retired, than live with all these secrets. But, I'm not saying right now, this moment either."

Amanda started to speak, "no, don't say anything," Lee interrupted her before she even got a word in. "We don't have to decide right now. Right now, I just want to get this debriefing done and go home. I know we're supposed to tell Billy and Francine about this new development with Jaime but it can wait until after we meet with Phillip and your Mom."

"Can I at least tell you that I love you? And, that I think you're right? I think after we tell Mom and Phillip, Billy and Francine should be next. But, I agree- let's keep this debriefing as short as possible. I want to get home. I want to be there for Jaime. He's been so strong and accommodating in all of this. I really want to be with our boys instead of here at work. Or I should say at home with our boys and you? It sounds like a dream come true!"

Before they left the Q bureau, they went into the vault. Lee helped Amanda remove another small lock box and entered the combination. Amanda removed the letters that were in there and placed them in her purse. Lee and Amanda smiled. They had thought alike. Those old letters just might come in handy.


	4. Chapter 4

They'd kept the debriefing to the basics, but it still took almost three hours before they arrived at Amanda's home. Before they left Lee's car in the special storage Lee rented, he'd asked Amanda if she was sure she wanted to re-introduce him to their family before explaining anything. She smiled telling him she needed him there. He was glad there was room for two vehicles in storage leaving both his work and personal car. Next they took Amanda's work car to her storage unit, where they got into her personal vehicle. They'd juggled this life for so long, it was old hap. Even then, Lee and Amanda were hyper-vigilant the entire way to her house watching for any tales. They never were seen together at either of their places or in their personal cars. Being seen together was still dangerous- especially around the boys. There were still security concerns they'd need to get worked out.

As they reached her driveway, they could see that the gang was all home. Amanda quickly called Jaime's cell phone and asked him to make sure the back door was unlocked. Lee and Amanda hurried from her car and into the house.

"Oh, Amanda, you brought your co-worker Lee with you," Dotty exclaimed. "I've been wondering about you. How are you?"

Lee looked over at Jaime, "I'm good." He then looked over at Phillip, "Hey Phillip, how are you?" He hadn't been this close to both his stepsons in so many years. Lee could feel tears starting to surface. He focused on what was before them and forced himself not get too far ahead of the present moment.

"I'm good. Can you smell that food Grandma cooked?"

"It smells good, is that Yankee Doodle Pot Pie? Amanda has brought me leftovers to work before. It happens to be a favorite of mine."

"Sentimental are you?" Amanda whispered to Lee from behind him.

"Yes, that's it," Dotty smiled so happy that he'd stopped by. She didn't understand why he and Amanda had broken up. It was obvious to her in these few minutes that they really loved each other. "It won't be ready for another hour or so. Come, let's go in the living room. We have a lot of catching up to do."

Lee decided to have a little fun hoping it would come in handy in a minute. "Mrs. West, where did you get that recipe? Is it a family recipe?"

"Oh no, dear. But it is a funny story. You see there was, for a short while, a cooking segment on TV, years and years ago, gosh I guess it's been 20 plus years ago. The woman, Ms. Welch, featured some really interesting recipes. I was going through a phase where I wanted to experiment with new recipes and Ms. Welch's recipes had some of the most unique and memorable recipe names, I'd ever heard."

"You can say that again," Amanda chimed in enjoying this moment recalling how it all began.

Dotty never missed a beat, "There were names like Duck a la Nathan Hale, Valley Forge Flapjacks, and Pilgrims Peach Puff. I never missed an episode. So, to say I was hooked would be an understatement. Anyway, Yankee Doodle Pot Pie was one of the recipes on the show. It was probably one of her best recipes. I don't know what I did wrong but several of them just did not turn out. Sadly, the show wasn't on long. You'll never believe this- she was a Russian spy!"

Amanda watched her husband closely. She wondered if Lee's bemused smile was about getting to hear Dotty tell this tale or how long she rambled on.

"Wait a minute," Phillip said. "Why do I remember those recipe names? Weren't those the words written on that note with that old broken music box I found when I snuck a peak into the package?"

Jaime looked at his mom and stepdad and in that instant realized what was held within the package that Lee had handed his mother. He started laughing. "And, as I recall, I'm the one who snitched on you opening that package. We had no idea just what you'd done." The last statement drew an inquisitive look from his older brother.

"Well, actually, yes. Phillip, Mom, Jaime, we need to talk. Jaime learned some of this last night because of something we didn't plan for, but we really wanted to talk to all of you together."

"I want all of you to know that I've kept some pretty big secrets from you through the years. While I did it for your own safety, it doesn't make keeping several big pieces of my life from you right. I, well we," she said as she smiled at her husband, "were going to wait six more months until it would be much safer for you to know this, but as I said, something happened last night that we didn't expect. It wouldn't be right if only Jaime knew. But, what we are going to be telling you has to stay among us. And we'll have to talk about safety precautions too. I want you to know that I love you so much."

"Your mother has hated keeping these secrets from you. If you are going to blame anyone, I want you to blame me. It might have all started with that package, but I'm the one who gave it to your mother."

"What are you saying? Amanda, are you ok?" Dotty couldn't stay quiet any longer.

"Mom, I'm fine. I didn't mean to worry you like that. Lee's fine. Jaime's fine. We're all fine. But this is hard enough as it is, can you let us get this out before you start asking questions?"

"You're right Dotty, Ms. Welch was a spy and it was that music box and Phillip's memory of what the note in the box said, that brought her to justice." Lee started to explain, "if you remember, it was still the Cold War and we were always leery of the Russians and them of us. It's been so long now that most of the case involving Ms. Welch has been de-classified. At the time, most of the cases that I worked involved the Russians and/or the Cold War. Well, I suppose," he fumbled for the words, "that you should first know that I am a counter-intelligence officer, not a film maker. I know, the question you're next thinking, is 'a spy?'. Yes, I am a spy or at least most of my work in those days was as a spy, though I never was truly comfortable with that word. Okay, sorry, back to the package. I was working to get a lead on what appeared to be a leak within our agency. Somehow the Russians had information about where our agents would be. I met a contact who gave me a package. I was being chased before I could open the package to see inside. We'd arranged a series of drop-offs to get the information back to the agency. I was to hand off the package to a man at the train station. But I was very close to being caught and was worried about how I'd get the package handed off. That's when I saw the most beautiful woman I've ever known. Of course, if I'd have known she was in a nightgown. . ."

"I was dating Dean back then and he'd insisted that I drop him off at the train station because it was going to rain. After I dropped him off, this man in a waiter's coat and bow-tie, grabbed my arm. He begged me first to walk with him, then to take a package and give it to a man on the train, a man with a red hat. I didn't take the time to really think it through at the time. There was something in his eyes that compelled me to trust him. They still do. So, there I was in my nightgown and coat, I took the package, and I got on the train. The man had told me to give it to the man in the Red Hat. Now there was the rub, the train was full of men in red hats. I didn't know what to do, so I brought the box home. Somehow, the man found me."

"I had to find her again- I thought because it was important to the case but now I realize because finding her changed my whole life. The woman's mother mailed the package." Lee paused, smiled, and let out a little chuckle, "That was the first night that someone we know almost went to jail- for sneaking around a post office- with yours truly. I suppose I was always getting her into tight scrapes. When we didn't find the package, I said good-bye to the woman thinking our time together was over. I said good-bye to the best thing that has ever happened to me. But, you Phillip, you brought her back into my life, only it took me a long time to realize that she was the best thing ever to happen to me. I bet neither of you know that your mother's flown a helicopter. She did- when she saved my life after solving the mystery of our leak and determining that one Ms. Welch was using her recipes on that cooking show to send information in code to other Russian spies." Lee decided it was best to leave out the deaths of his fellow agents.

They paused to gauge Dotty and Phillip's reaction and see if the re-telling of that initial case sparked any questions from Jaime.

"Wait, honey, I thought you worked with Lee. If he's not a film maker, what do you do?"

"Well, at first it was mostly secretarial, but over a few years' time, I became a full agent. Lee and I are partners. But, remember, mom the boys were so little. Agency policy is that family and friends are told we work for IFF in the film industry in order to keep our family's safe. In those first years, Mom, I wanted more than anything to talk about my job, the changes I was going through, and Lee." Amanda trailed off for a moment and a tear escaped. "But there was a lot of danger associated with knowing what was going on. In fact, in those early years, I was kidnapped because they thought I was the 'Great Scarecrow'," Amanda chuckled as she put quotation marks in the air. "Lee's first code name was Scarecrow. Thankfully I didn't really know that much at that time. I wasn't as fortunate another time I was kidnapped to get to Lee and the man tried to play mind tricks to get national secrets from me. Most agents don't have kids and families. Family members are easy targets and can be pumped for information, even if they don't have any."

"Your mom learned this business so quickly. She really is quite suited for this line of work. Jaime, I think that's where you get it from. She's taught me and a whole lot of other agents so many things through the years. Phillip, I can see why you are so suited to teaching and coaching. Given all that's happened and all the things she, and I, have missed out on over the years, this may sound odd, but she did it, for that matter we did it, for you boys. She wanted this world to be safer for you to grow up in. You may not know it, but she played a more direct role in saving you on several instances. She helped stop a nuclear bomb here in the city, a potential water poisoning, and countless other attempted attacks on this city."

Jaime sat back in his chair taking it all in watching the scene unfold. He watched his mom and stepdad nervously begin to unravel their secrets. He watched his grandmother shocked look and wondered how long it would take her to really see the whole picture. Phillip looked bewildered.

"Mom, do you mind if I continue a bit? With some of what you told helped me put together last night?"

"Phillip, Grandma, I'm sure you remember when I was kidnapped at the Pizza Parlor. I'm not sure if you remember but Lee was there when they found me."

"I'll never forget watching them drag you away that day and wishing it was me," Phillip said. "That was around the time the two of you broke up- was that because of us?"

"That was the case that forever split my life as a mother and daughter away from everything else," Amanda added. "Shielding and protecting you from my work took on a whole new meaning and a lot of changes occurred."

It was Lee's turn. Here came the next big truth. He took a deep breath and dived back in to their story. "As far as this family goes, the harm done to you all that day is my biggest regret. That was all about getting to your mother and I- it was my fault for getting too close to you. Your mother and I had put Hollinsworth behind bars in an Austrian prison. He escaped and wanted revenge. I missed being around you all after that but it was more than worth it to keep you safe. Your Mom and I faced a lot of changes at the time. But we were determined to find solutions to the problems we'd created. And we had some help from two of our best allies at work. Of course, they don't even know what I'm about to tell you now. Your mom and I've kept this secret strictly to ourselves and have never shared this secret with anyone. We've prayed this day, when we could tell you, would eventually come. You see," Lee paused. "Well, I told you that I had to find her," Lee smiled at his wife, "and how beautiful that she is. If you can't tell, I'm still very much in love with your mother- even more so that I was back then."

"And, I still am very much in love with you, more with each passing day."

Phillip watched as Lee and Amanda exchanged a glance, "so, if you are still in love, why aren't you to still together?"

"That's the thing Phillip," Lee said taking one more deep breath before dropping this bombshell on his stepson and mother-in-law. "We were engaged to be married before you had ever met me, well, officially met me. Not all that long, but still. We were married in 1987, a few months after I had barely gotten to speak to you."

I suppose you should also know that I am a spy; I've spied on the two of you all this time and had the privilege of watching you boys grow into fine young men, even if it's been from a far. I love you. It's hard to explain but it was if you were my boys, my stepsons, from the time I started dating your mother almost three years after we had met. After we were married and even after we buried our secret marriage so far underground no one would find it, I never thought of you as less than my boys. It feels so good to simply be able to tell you that I love you. Now, of course, with all the secrets I've made your mother keep, I wouldn't blame you if you hated me and never wanted to speak to again."

"Lee, you didn't make me tell those lies. It was something I did on my own. I felt it was the right thing to do." Amanda walked over to her purse and pulled the letters out. "I know this is so much to take in. The pot roast should be done. You all just sit here and take this in; Lee and I will go set the table and get everything ready." Amanda looked down at the letters in her hand and several tears escaped again. It took her several moments to find her voice. "These are letters that we'd hope you would never see. They are the letters we wrote to each of you if something had ever happened to us. Like so many in this or other dangerous lines of work, we wanted to make sure you knew how much we love you. Of course, I'd never fully understood the logic of that and fully believe you should let your loved ones know they are loved and cherished every single day. But, of course, Lee and I had so much more to explain. And Lee would have never had the chance to tell you how much he loves you," Amanda choked up again as her words trailed off. "There's a letter from each of us to each of you. Lee and I thought they might better explain all that we are try to explain now."

As Amanda passed Phillip, Jaime, and Dotty their letters, Lee spoke, "I know this is a lot to take in but we've kept these secrets out of love. It doesn't make it right and I hope one day you can forgive us."

Amanda and Lee walked through the kitchen to the dining room. Before they started setting the dining room table, Lee wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed her. The tears began to trail down both of their faces and as they looked into each other's eyes they could see their feelings mirrored back- fear, relief, anxiety, and love, so much love. After all this time, it was just a little more than they were prepared for- it all seemed to be happening so fast.

Dotty stepped outside on to the patio in the backyard and sat down at the picnic table. She needed some fresh air. She wasn't sure she wanted to think about what it would have been like to read a letter from her daughter had she died in the line of duty. Or, for that matter, the son-in-law she barely knew. She opened the letter from her daughter first and began to read it.

"Hey Wormbrain," Phillip said to his brother. "How did you learn about this? I'm sure mom would have rather told us all together."

"Yeah, they very much wanted to tell us all together in a few months when Lee would face mandatory retirement, or at least have to come out of the field. You know that for the past month I've been buried under with a case. I wrapped it up earlier than expected and then got called to work security at a party that John's dad, the senator, was hosting at the last minute. I flew out yesterday afternoon. Apparently, mom and dad had someone to keep tabs of my whereabouts. I know, I know, I called him dad. I can't explain it fully Phillip. That man loves us very much. Mom did say that while he wasn't visibly around, he attended as many functions as he could in disguise and supported us financially without even blinking. I just, well, I don't know, I've come to accept that we have a step dad. And, I'm really happy about it- especially for mom. It's like as their secrets have unraveled, we've gained so much. I know this is all much newer to you but it just warmed my heart from the moment it started to unfold.

"Anyway, Mom and Lee must have had some way to know when I wasn't going to be on a case. Oooohhhhh," Jaime paused for a second realizing information about his assignments and whereabouts must have been passed through the elder Agent Beaman . "I think I know how that happened."

"Hey wormbrain, you gonna finish telling me how you learned about this," Phillip asked while waiting for Jaime to continue.

"Oh yeah, sorry. So, I was at the party when I spotted Lee and walked over to say hi. I couldn't figure it out at the time but he seemed quite nervous and was scanning the room. I know now, he was trying to avoid what happened next. The Senator called us over. As we walked over to the Senator, Lee said things were about to get weird and that we had to keep our agent faces on. My first reaction was 'we?' He, thankfully, was trying to warn me that I couldn't have a breakdown in front of the senator and needed to play along. That's when I saw mom standing next to the Senator. He introduced me to agents Amanda and Lee Steadman who had been helping him with some case. Things began to fall into place. I don't know how much I can say but work be damned, I can tell you that I've heard about the legendary Amanda and Lee and some of their exploits over the years. They are revered by so many. So, when I was introduced to them, it took me back. After the Senator walked away, Lee promised he would explain. As I thought about it, I could see the way they loved each other very much. A little while later, I took a break and met them outside where they started to explain. Then, we were on the same flight home and mom finagled me a seat next to them. Lee and I talked some while mom slept in his arms. It's been a long 24 hours to say the least."

Phillip regarded Jaime and what he seemed to think of all this. Jaime had his mom's intuition and knowing that made him feel more at ease. He opened the letter from his mom and started to read, but he noticed Jaime was staring at his letters.

"Jaime?"

"I don't know if I can read these."

"Have you written one of these?"

"Yeah, one to you, one to mom, and one to grandma." Jaime stood up and walked over to the window. "It was the hardest thing I've ever done. You face your own mortality in an all too intimate way and you realize the potential consequences to your loved ones for the line of work that you've chosen and all the sacrifices they make while you're off doing what you love."

"Jaime, they don't feel like consequences. I am so proud of you. I love you." Phillip thought about how close he and his brother had become since the fateful day that he'd been kidnapped. If it hadn't been for his mom and step-dad's line of work, they may not have been as close as they are today.

Jaime turned to face his brother, "I love you too worm brain. I can't imagine what these would have been like to write for them- they had to try to explain all this too." Jaime walked to the living room as Phillip started reading his mom's letter.

Lee separated from his embrace with Amanda, pulled out one of the dining room chairs, sat down, and pulled her into his lap.

He saw the letter in her hand. He knew that she knew he broke their promise. Well, part of it. They had promised not to write letters to each other, but would rather never let the words go unsaid. He had made sure he always told her the same things that were in the letter- that was the part of the promise he had kept. But, he'd written her a letter. He wanted her to be able to read those words hoping that if something had happened to him they would give her strength to go on, to move on, to live, and to thrive.

Amanda looked down at the letters in her hand and started to cry again. She just could not seem to keep it all together. She felt so vulnerable right now. She knew she'd broken their promise not to write letters but she hadn't known until she started handing out the letters earlier that he'd broken it to. Her hands were trembling. Lee took her hands in his and then realized there were two letters. His own tears fell as he looked at his wife.

"Oh Lee," Amanda sighed taking a deep breath to stop her crying. "Here." She handed him the letter she had written many years ago.

Lee looked at her, "Are you sure?" Amanda shook her head yes. "I know what we promised but still I wanted you to have it. But, read it." He paused, "I love you."

"I love you, too" Amanda replied as they began to read the letters.

Jaime watched the exchange unfold from where he sat in the dining room. Watching the scene, tears began to stream down his face. Both for what he had just seen and for all they had done for the boys over the years. The sacrifices they had made in their relationship for the sake of Phillip and him had been weighing heavy on Jaime's mind since the night before. He looked again at the envelopes in his hand. His hand was shaking as he opened Lee's letter first and began to read it.

Dotty wiped the tears away, took a deep breath, and went inside. She saw clearly now how she had made things harder on her daughter over the years. She found her daughter in the dining room still sitting in Lee's lap. "Oh honey, I am so glad that you found a career that excites you and the love of your life," she said as Amanda stood and they embraced. "I am so sorry that I meddled and pried all those years about why on earth you'd want to make those boring documentaries or about your lack of love life. It must have made it so much harder for you and I shudder to think about how much it made you realize how you and Lee were missing out on by not having a normal life."

"Oh mom, you didn't know and you just wanted me to be fulfilled and happy. You love me and I understood that. I am so sorry for all the lies."

"I wish you would have told me the truth, but I understand that you had to keep it all quiet. It must have been such a burden. I love you."

"There were so many times I wished I could sit and talk to my mom about all the things I was learning in my new job, how frustrating Lee could be- he'll even admit that now, about falling in love, about all the decisions we had to make- especially after the Hollinsworth case. I missed out on a lot of real mother-daughter talks. Though, Mom, you often had the knack of saying just the right thing even when you didn't know what was going on."

"Lee, it's clear that you love my daughter and have brought so much good into her life. Welcome to the family, son."

"Oh, Ms. West, thank-you."

"Call me mom," Dotty interrupted.

"Mom," Lee continued clearly choked up. "I can't say that I always dreamed of having a family, but after meeting your daughter, I've wanted nothing more than to be a part of this family."

Jaime was standing in the doorway between the foyer and dining room. "Lee," he said, "dad." He found Lee standing there and, as they looked at each other, Lee opened his arms to his step-son. Jaime found himself in Lee's welcoming embrace.

Phillip walked into the dining room and smiled. "I love this family. Mom, Lee thanks for all you've done for us all these years. I'm sorry you had to sacrifice your own lives for us. Come on now, group hug."

And with that, they all embraced. As they began to separate Dotty noticed that the table wasn't set but saw some letters left on the table. She looked up at Lee and Amanda. They seemed like the weight of the world had been lifted off their shoulders. "Why don't we just eat in the den? Easy and simple."

"Grandma," Jaime said, "if you'll get the plates out, I'll get the pot roast out of the oven." Jaime followed his Grandma into the kitchen giving his parents some time alone with Phillip.


	5. Chapter 5

On the way to work, Lee called Francine and asked if she could set up a meeting with Billy, away from the office.

Francine had met her catch not long after Lee and Francine had worked the Tracy Austin case together. He wasn't a mover or shaker in Washington, per se, but "he was quite a catch." That's what she had said when she met and started dating the Washington Redskins receiver that stole her heart. Lee had laughed thinking he might not be a catch, but he sure could catch. As much as Lee admired the guy as a player, he felt a protective streak in the early days of Francine's new relationship and he kept an eye on the player.

Billy had been the agency head since Dr. Smith was fired following the Hollinsworth case. He was often home more for Jeannie and he relished that time. Lee very much understood why Billy became increasingly more protective of his time with his wife. It seemed the older that Lee had gotten, the more he recognized how short the time with his own wife was.

Francine and her football player were quite serious by the time that Billy was hired for the agency head. While Francine wouldn't admit it at the time, even to herself, her new relationship was heading down the aisle and she was rethinking what was important to her. When it came open, she applied for and took Billy's position as section chief.

Lee, Francine, and Amanda spent a lot of time talking about her new relationship and the new opportunities at the agency. Francine made sure that Lee didn't want the Billy's former position before she even applied. After all Lee had been through she would have given up the position for him. She would have given it up for Amanda too, which surprised her a bit at the time, but Amanda hadn't been a full agent long enough. They had talked about her new relationship and how being an agent full time didn't allow a person to give a relationship a fair shot. They talked about how it wasn't fair to her new love that she put herself in that much danger day in and day out. Those conversations had been hard, especially for Lee, because they knew she was right. But, then again, they were together and they wanted to continue to work together. Lee knew that Amanda's life at home grounded and centered her but it was her work that challenged and excited her. She deserved the opportunity to have something like that in her life. He really didn't want to come out of the field either and sharing the crazy life of an agent with his wife was something special. Something most don't get to experience, well, he didn't know of anyone since it was against agency policy. That thought brought him back to the moment.

"Mind your manners," Lee said when Francine answered. He knew Francine would recognize the old code. They were getting so old that not many did anymore.

"Lee?" Francine was worried now. She knew this must relate to the time before Hollinsworth case. Before Lee Steadman. It was early which usually wasn't a good thing if Lee was already headed in.

Lee smiled hearing the worry in her voice, "everything is fine. Don't worry. We just need to talk." He was quick to re-assure her. He didn't want her to worry and he wanted to put her at ease as soon as possible. He'd learned as he met Amanda how to sense when a woman was worried. It wasn't something he'd thought about all that much before Amanda.

"Ok, Pilgrim's Peach Landing, then?"

"Yeah sounds good. Billy should join us. Just let me know what time."

It was less than five minutes later when Billy called Lee. "Lee, what's this about, is everything ok?"

"Yeah, Billy," Lee said cheerfully, "everything is fine." He thought back to how his family had taken the revelations they shared yesterday, how happy he was to really feel like part of his family, and the relief of it all.

Billy could hear the tone in Lee's voice and he calmed down. "Well, can you give me about 20 minutes to get over there?"

"Yeah Billy, it'll take at least that long for me to get there. I'll call Amanda."

"Okay," Billy answered wondering if Lee really would have to call her to tell her.

"Hey, don't rush and take it easy getting over there. There's no fire. It's not an emergency."

They met in the field where Amanda had landed her first helicopter. Amanda had set up a picnic blanket and extra blankets for warmth along with some of the cookies her mother had baked while they had been out of town.

After they had all sat down and Amanda had poured each of them some coffee, Lee laid back on his arm and side and began to speak, "Something happened in Tennessee that we didn't share with you in the debriefing. There's just some things the four of us have agreed not to speak about at the office. And, to be honest, it needed to be dealt with fully once we got back. Apparently, Efraim's intel fell short. Jaime was at the party that the Senator held while we were down there. To Beaman's credit, he was assigned the security detail at the last minute after Jaime's big case in New York was wrapped up in time. But, we didn't know he was there- I didn't know until Jaime spotted me and came up to talk to me. Apparently, he remembered me even after all these years- after all that happened when he was kidnapped, I can understand why." Lee's expression clouded before starting to smile as he remembered how quickly the whole deal at the party had gone down. "We had no more begun speaking when the Senator called us over to where he was standing to formally introduce the two of us- and Amanda who was standing right beside the Senator. I knew the gig was up. The Senator would introduce us as agents and as husband and wife. I managed to lean over to Jaime as we walked to tell him it was going to be weird and that we needed to keep our game faces on. Sure enough, Senator Long gave Jaime the golden nugget."

Francine, "Oh my, Amanda, that's not how you planned it. After all the work we've done over the years to make sure he didn't find out. . . How did he take it?"

"Oh, I wish you guys had been there," Amanda replied. "He handled it so well. You couldn't tell things were crumbling down around him. There was no way anyone would have known. I actually contemplated for a second whether he already knew because he didn't show his own shock. He was so gracious in meeting us and said he was sorry he didn't get to work with the legendary Lee and Amanda on this case."

"Yeah," Lee said. "He even said it would have been an honor. To be honest, I almost lost it right there in front of the Senator. Well, he pretty well figured it all out before we could explain. You two know that Amanda and I have kept so many secrets over the years and there's been so many lies over the years just trying to make it all work. He figured out the one secret that we've never told the two of you. I can't tell you how many times we've wanted to tell you but we knew it just wasn't safe. It could be someone's big ticket if they wanted to harm any of us. But, agency policy be damned." Lee's looked over at Amanda and took her hand and his voice softened, "Amanda and I are married."

Francine was clearly in shock, "How long?"

Amanda's head dropped, as if keeping this secret from Francine wouldn't hurt Francine enough, Amanda feared knowing how long they'd kept the secret from her would ruin their friendship. "19 years. Just before I was shot, that was on our honeymoon. Our 20th anniversary will be in February."

Amanda couldn't even look Francine in the eye. She turned her attention to Billy, "Billy, I,"

"I've known for quite some time," Billy interrupted. "I found out at the beginning of Hollinsworth case and by the time we had resolved that case, I understood why you kept it a secret. As we started burying your full identities at the agency, I buried the records of your marriage as well. Oh, I wanted nothing more at the time than to talk to the two of you about it and about how all that had transpired with your family had affected you. But, I chose to respect your wishes. I don't know how the two of you continued to do so well in your casework after that. As the boys got older and you two requested more out of town assignments, I tried to oblige as much as possible. I told Francine Lee probably wanted to share so many of his travels with you."

Lee regarded his friend Billy. "Thanks Billy. We made it through because we had each other. Billy, Francine, we understand agency policy. We were planning to wait to tell our family until after my birthday, but when Jaime found out, that time table went out the window. We told them all our secrets, well, the big ones, yesterday. And, we didn't want to keep this happy secret anymore. I know it may mean we can't work in the field together, but I'm ok with that. It that's the case, we are as prepared to retire if need be as we would be in a few months."

"Let's figure out the work stuff later," Francine said. "How did Jaime figure it all out? How did the family take it? How are you all doing?"

"Oh, Francine," Amanda exclaimed and she gave Francine a hug. "We've just shared this huge deception with you and you're worried about us. You've become my best friend over the years, well next to Lee." She smiled. "I was so worried I'd lose you as friend when we told you."

"You're not getting rid of me that easy," Francine replied.

Lee smiled, "we met Jaime on the veranda but there were video cameras. He played it off as if he wanted to take a walk with the legendary Lee and Amanda to swap stories. So smooth and calm- he's amazing, certainly a better agent than I was at his age. He'd already put the pieces together or at least the big ones. His first question was to confirm we were married and find out how long. I told him the story of how his mom came to this business when we met at the train station and a little of the in-between. I explained why we kept it all a secret. I think it's easier for him to understand- especially after we explained that the Hollinsworth case led to us realizing how secret it all must be. He wound up on the same plane going home."

Lee laughed, "the younger Beaman is much like his father. It didn't take much for Amanda to convince him he would rather trade seats with Jaime so he could sit next to an attractive blonde out of his league allowing Jaime to sit by us."

Francine smiled, "sounds just like Efraim."

"Jaime and I had a heart to heart on the plane. To be honest that moment was one I'll cherish forever- finally getting to talk to my son again. Amanda and I knew we couldn't ask him to keep our secrets from Dotty and Phillip and certainly didn't want him to get caught in the web of lies those secrets have weaved. So, after the debriefing, we met everyone at Amanda's house."

He smiled, "Francine do you remember Yankee Doodle Pot Pie?"

"Sorta," she smirked. "Mrs. Welch."

"Yup, well as luck would have it, that's what Ms. West was cooking for lunch. So we started from there. Jaime actually helped by reminding Phillip that he'd been the one to remember the code inside that music box. Jaime also helped to begin the telling of our biggest secret."

"I think he knew how to start to explain why we'd kept out relationship a secret in a way Phillip might understand," Amanda added. "After we broke the news that we were married we wanted to give them some time to process. Before we had left the Agency yesterday, we pulled our letters to them out of the safe. It had been so hard to write them but I don't think I was prepared for how hard it would be to tell them in person about our secret life- especially in a way that could help them understand why we kept them in the dark even after the boys became adults. We thought the letters might help. We let them be with their thoughts and our letters to give them time to process."

"What followed next was nothing short of a miracle," noted Lee.

"My mom came in the dining room and apologized to me- to me, as if she had something to apologize for."

"Jaime came in next. He called me dad." Lee said in astonishment and joy. He was choked up again. "Phillip came in and he apologized and thanked us for the sacrifices we had made. He thanked us. Then we all embraced." Lee looked off in the distance clearly cherishing the memory. "We were finally all together, a family. I was able to wrap my arms around my family. I was home. I don't guess I've ever felt anything like it."

Francine and Amanda had tears running down their faces. Billy smiled and regarded Amanda, Lee, and Francine. He was so glad they had found love in their life. There is nothing quite like having a family.

"Lee, Amanda, congratulations! Rather belatedly I know but I am really happy for you. I can't say that I didn't wonder a time or two about the nature of your relationship but I had no idea you were married. You've done a good job at keeping your secret. But I often found myself wondering what would happen if you started dating again. Huh, the joke was on me."

"Francine, we never wanted."

"Oh, I didn't mean it that way Amanda. I totally get why you've kept it a secret. I've felt for a long time that you two belonged together as more than just partners or even as friends. You two are so good for each other and your always seemed so much happier when you were together than when you were apart. I see why now. I just always figured you were worried about your jobs or losing your friendship. I am just so darn happy to find out you'd spent all these years together as a couple." Francine choked up.

"Brand and Greenwich," Billy called them by their second generation code names. "I have no problem with allowing our unspoken arrangement to continue. It's really up to you, and perhaps your family. What do you want to do?"

"I want to go camping with my family," Lee exhaled seemingly lost in his own thought, "I always missed out on the family adventures." Lee noticed everyone got quiet and it brought him back to the present. "Sorry, that was just the first thing that came to mind. I guess we really hadn't thought much about if we were allowed to stay in the field. I don't guess I know; I suppose we need to discuss it."

"Why don't the two of you take the day off and discuss it? There's no rush. Take all the time you need to decide. We won't have any new recruits for a while and with all the cutbacks we won't be able to replace you until we get them." Francine regarded them and was already beginning to formulate a little plan.

"You can certainly continue to work for the agency, obviously marriage has not hindered you, but I'm afraid that means you'll have to keep your marriage a secret too. You just never know when we might have a mole who could use that to stir some trouble up."

"Thank-you sir," Amanda smiled as she said sir and then continued, "thank-you, Billy, for all your help over the years. Now I know why we didn't have to navigate any more peacock dances."

They talked a while longer as they shared a new perspective on several of the cases they had been on and things that had happened. Billy shared that he or Francine would have been in California in an instant had he known at the time when Amanda was shot that they were married. They talked about how being married was a tremendous asset in cases. Lee shared some of their adventures to take vacation time together. They laughed and cried. But soon it was time for them all to leave their secret picnic place before someone started looking for them. Lee and Amanda said goodbye before deciding to drive up to their favorite small town with all the antiques. It would give then some time to talk.

As Billy and Francine were headed back to the agency, Francine called Billy. "Hey, do you have a few minutes to meet me at Marsh of the Mellow Man?"

* * *

Lee and Amanda walked and talked. Their lives had changed so much in the past two days yet some things hadn't changed a bit. They were closer to being a whole family again- and a whole couple rather than being married part time. Lee had gained a family that loved him. Yet, the circumstances that led to all the secrecy hadn't changed- they wouldn't until they were retired and could assume their real identities again- there new agency personas would just disappear into thin air. They had decisions to make but realized they didn't want to keep the family out of it. Lee and Amanda resolved to figure out some way to talk to the family about the decisions they had in front of them.

Then Amanda returned home to her house and Lee to his apartment- like they had for too many years. As Lee looked around his place, he realized it never felt as much like home as the relatively few times he'd been in Amanda's. He'd settled into this apartment years ago always keeping state of the art security. When he settled onto the couch, he felt that all too familiar ache. He missed his wife already. He smiled before pulling her picture out of his wallet's secret little compartment. It was a picture from one of Amanda's first cases without him. He'd seen her with groceries in hand and an umbrella and thought he'd go help her commandeering a cab. Only he'd startled her and she sunk to the ground before she realized it was him. He'd known for sure he was marrying her sooner rather than later when he saw that surveillance shot.


	6. Chapter 6

Jaime was called into Senior Beaman's office the next morning.

"Jaime, I've asked to have an agent assist in a bit of delicate matter." Ephraim began. "We have a high profile agent whose been called out to work a case. He and his family were going on vacation and his family is going to continue without him. But, he's worried they might get into trouble navigating to the secluded cabin. He wants someone to accompany them."

"And you want me to be that person?" Jaime asked.

"Yes," Beaman continued, "you have extensive experience camping and in the outdoors. They are going to very remote area deep in the woods. Here, you will find everything you need in this packet. You'll meet them tomorrow but your flight for Fort Smith, Arkansas leaves in about four hours. He did say that the area they are visiting is really nice."

On his way home, Jaime called his mom. He smiled when his mom answered the phone IFF.

"Hi mom. I'm glad I reached you instead of your voice mail. I worked late on a case yesterday, how did things go at work?"

"Well, I still have a job. Can you do lunch? I'd love to talk about it."

"Is that Jaime?" Lee asked. Lee hung his head a bit. He wondered how he'd resisted the urge to take the phone from Amanda and talk to his son all these years. He locked the door to the Q Bureau and put his ear to the phone. He just wanted to hear his son's voice.

"I wish I could. The other reason I called is that I'm headed to Fort Smith on assignment. I'm gonna have to hurry just to catch the flight. I'm not sure yet how long I'm going to be gone."

"Ok. We'll do lunch or something when you get back."

"Mom? Can you? Well, um."

"Yes, I'll speak to him."

"Thanks! Tell everyone I love them and will miss them," Jaime said emphasizing the "everyone" which made Lee smile.

"You know you take all our love with you. Bye Jaime."

"Bye Mom, I'll talk to you soon."

Lee looked at his wife smiling as he walked over to unlock the door. "Is your son going out of town again?" Lee asked.

"Yup, good thing too, with the way this case Francine gave us this morning is going, it doesn't look like I'm going to be getting much time at home."

"The trail does seem to be leading us to Dallas, doesn't it?"

Lee and Amanda had been researching their new case for another hour when Francine knocked on the door.

"How is it going? Are you going to be able to solve the case here? or will you have to make a trip to Dallas like I was afraid of?" Francine asked.

"It looks like Dallas to me, what about you Lee? Do you see anything that would keep us from having to make the trip?" Amanda really didn't want to go out of town right now. She wanted to stay close to home so that she could keep an eye on how Phillip was doing and catch up on those Mother-Daughter talks she'd missed out on.

"I'm afraid it looks like Dallas to me too." Lee replied.

"Ok, pack your bags. I'll try to get you all a flight that leaves at a decent hour tomorrow morning. I'm going to keep digging around here. Call me when you land and I'll give you an update."

Lee and Amanda spent the afternoon grasping at straws looking for anything that would help them solve this case. There just didn't seem to be anything on the Shrouded Sabbatical group or what they had planned. In their line of work, that spelled trouble. Finally, they decided they weren't going to get any more information that evening. As much as they hated to part, they decided to head home so that they could pack and get ready for their trip.

* * *

"Oh Amanda! You won't believe this. I never win anything! Would you believe it! A vacation. I won a vacation. Amanda, do you think you could get some days off from work? We could get away and catch up." Amanda hadn't even gotten through the door before her mother anxiously and excitedly greeted her.

"Slow down mom. If I got all that, you won a trip and you want me to go with you, right? When is it?"

"The plane leaves tomorrow- it's all in the itinerary. I'll go get it."

"Oh, mom, drats, I've got to go scouting locations tomorrow in Dallas." Amanda said with a half-smile. She laughed as she caught herself saying "scouting location" and the half-cocked look her mother gave her. But, she hated that she couldn't go spend some quality time with her mom.

"Oh dear, well, I wonder if Phillip and Jaime would like to take the trip. They do love Indian artifacts."

"I'm afraid it may have to be you and Phillip. Jaime's out of town. Where are you going anyway?"

"It's a trip to Oklahoma. I'm not even sure where all the locations this trip mentions even are. I'm not too familiar with Oklahoma, but it sounds so interesting. There's so much history there. I just never knew there was so much to do. Oh, and the scenery, it's just gorgeous."

Amanda smiled. "Let me put my stuff down, get packed for my own trip, and then I want you to tell me more!"

"Ok, I'll call Phillip. I sure am glad he's off right now. He'll love this- he loves surprise adventures."


	7. Chapter 7

Amanda dropped her mom and Phillip off at the airport. She'd stayed up talking to her mom until close to midnight for the third night in a row. Even though they'd lived together since the boys were little, it felt like they had 100 years of catching up to do. But, Amanda didn't have too long to dwell on it. She had to go put this car in her storage parking and get her work car out. She would meet Lee at the Agency before they left for their own flight.

When Dotty and Phillip arrived in Oklahoma City, Francine picked them up disguised in dark hair and a travel guide outfit. She escorted them to her car, and they began their drive. Francine found Ms. West much easier to talk to then she had imagined. Dotty's rambles reminded her of Amanda but there was something else about Dotty that reminded Francine of her own mother.

About halfway to their first destination, Francine stopped the car at a beautiful scenic overlook. "Let's get out and stretch our legs." Francine deliberately left her cell phone in the car. She marveled that even she could be swept up in the scenery. As they walked, Francine began to share her secret. "Ok, I don't want to alarm you here. I've actually cooked with Ms. Welch but Amanda has taught me everything I need to know about cooking. And, we've met before Ms. West though I'm not sure if you would remember. This is actually a wig and I'm really blonde. Everyone is safe, so please don't let this surprise scare you. You see, the gig is up. Huh, I guess in so many ways for you and for me, and the two we mutually care about." She smiled. "Yesterday, Lee shared a little something with me that I don't think he meant to given the context of our conversation. Did you know he's always wanted to go camping with you guys?"

Phillip smiled, "really?"

Phillip and Dotty weren't quite sure whether to believe all that this woman was telling them or not. Dotty did think she looked familiar and took that as a good sign. The only thing that assured Phillip was that the woman seemed to think Lee loved them very much. He knew his parents had been very careful to not let anyone know that and he hoped that meant this woman was close to them and had their best interests at heart, but still he wished Jaime was there.

"Yeah, he let it slip and it gave me an idea, a secret to keep from them. I'm going to drop you off in McAllister. Jaime, though he doesn't know it yet, is going to take you to my husband and I's cabin near Broken Bow. As for the secret duo, well, let's just say they are on a wild goose chase I've hatched up that will lead them right to all of you. The cabin is safe and you'll be able to talk freely then. But, until then, none of us can mention our plan or our knowledge of each other as a precaution. We'd better get back to the car and get on the road. Besides, I left my cell phone in there and I should be getting a call any minute now. Ms. West, when I get to the car, I'm going to give you an envelope, when you see Lee and Amanda, will you give it them, it will help assure them that you are safe."

Francine's phone was ringing as they reached the car. Francine gave Dotty an envelope and then took the call. She smiled at Dotty and Phillip. "How was your flight Lee?" She listened as Lee told them about what they'd done since they'd left D.C.

"Listen, I talked to an informant this morning that wants to talk to the two of you in private. The informant wants to meet you in a cabin where the informant's staying with her grandsons. I'll send over the directions. Oh, Lee, there's my other line, gotta go. You two be careful."

Francine sent an email to Lee and Amanda smiling at Dotty and Phillip who were smiling back at her. Though, Francine could tell they were a little leery of all this. She couldn't blame them. They'd just found out about Lee and Amanda's secret lives, the dangers they'd faced, and cautioned of the dangers that may still be lurking. She hoped she hadn't scared them too bad but knew they'd feel better once they saw Jaime.

Before Francine could walk back to the car, Dotty peaked at the envelope. There she found a picture of Francine with a note on the back to Lee. But there was also a sticky note that read, "I thought you might peak, Ms. West. It's fine. Do you remember the woman with chimpanzee?"

Dotty looked at Phillip, "We're going to be just fine."

"We've got about another hour to go until we reach McAllister," Francine said as she started the car.

Dotty continued to make small talk with Francine though now she seemed to have a thousand burning questions that she just couldn't ask. All the questions were killing her; she hoped maybe she'd get some when she finally got to spend some time with her daughter. The time passed by so quickly.

Meanwhile, Lee was getting more aggravated by the minute. They had rented an SUV and were on their way to meet this informant. "Why did Francine send us these instructions in this old code?"

"Maybe she wanted to make sure they were secure through the cell phone lines? Or maybe this here is a way at getting back at us? Besides, you were the first to invoke the old code this week."

"Yeah, I guess you have a point. Well, at least we can enjoy the scenery on the way."

As Francine pulled the car into the rest area, Francine instructed Dotty and Phillip to stay in the car. Dotty thanked her, "I hope your chimpanzee is ok when you get back." Dotty and Francine exchanged a knowing glance.

Francine walked over to where Jaime was to meet her. "Are you enjoying your time in Oklahoma?" Francine asked.

"This is a remarkable view." Jaime replied with the next sequence in the prescribed recognition code.

"Maybe you should take a tour of the area." Francine completed the rest of the recognition code. "Here, in my bag, I have some tour information you." Francine handed Jaime an envelope containing information about the security at the cabin and a few other small details. Agent King, you will find the family over there. You must not reveal your true identity until you arrive at the cabin where things will be secure."

Francine proceeded to the car Jaime had driven. Agent King proceeded to the car but stopped a few strides from the car. He struggled to keep the perplexed look off his face. Inside, Dotty and Phillip smiled back at him and then started laughing. Jaime got into the driver's seat and began to follow the driving directions that he'd been given.

"Did you know that nice woman we met used to have a chimpanzee? She said she often had a difficult time getting someone to pet sit." Dotty said.

Jaime smiled when he saw his Grandmother's smile in the rearview window. "So, we have a while until we reach our destination. I don't know if you want to take a nap or just take in the view."

They rode in silence the rest of the way. None of them were sure how to continue the conversation without making it abundantly clear they knew each other. Although the drive was beautiful, it seemed like forever before they parked the car and headed up the hill to the cabin.

Halfway up the hike to the cabin, they embraced. "Did you know that," Phillip paused and choked up, "dad, always wanted to go camping with us?"

"That nice woman apparently works at IFF," Dotty said making quotation marks in the air when she said 'IFF'. "I've met her before."

"Yes, I've met her before. Gosh, I bet they had to run some circles to make sure I didn't run into Lee and Mom when I was at IFF. Apparently from what I'm reading here, this is her cabin. When we get up there, I'm going to do a perimeter look out. . . just stay close to me. Then, when I go in the cabin, you two wait outside for a few seconds while I go through all the security measures. Any idea when the guests of honor will arrive?"

"No, she said something about a wild goose chase, apparently this is our secret to keep from them until they arrive."

The cabin felt like a quiet place to relax in a beautiful setting. It was well equipped but very comfortable and unassuming. There was a large wrap-around porch. Just outside of the cabin, there was a clear blue creek. They shook off the jet lag and road trip as they relaxed in the cabin.


	8. Chapter 8

It was afternoon before Lee and Amanda had made it up the drive to the cabin where they were to meet their informant. There was one other car parked at the beginning of a trail. Amanda grabbed a backpack with supplies, and they began to carefully make the walk up to the cabin as quietly as they could. This was always tough- keeping your guard up on a walk like this while not knowing what lies ahead for you when you arrive at your destination. Lee took Amanda's hand and they walked in quiet companionship.

Lee and Amanda put their hands on their guns as they reached the cabin. They knew there may be children around and that meant they needed to be careful wielding their guns around. Lee knocked on the cabin door, but no one answered. Amanda picked the lock while Lee kept his look-out. They traveled quietly through the living room, dining room, and kitchen. When they paused, they could hear Dotty and Phillip talking. They looked at each other with alarm. They couldn't hear any other voices. Guns drawn they entered the family room.

"Dotty, Phillip, are you alright? Where are they?" Lee whispered as he looked about.

"Lee, we're fine. Everything is fine."

Jaime had been watching as Lee and Amanda entered the house. He was getting acquainted with the security system that was in the house. Or rather, he was distracted watching how well Lee and Amanda worked together in tandem as they reached the house and went through the rooms. Suddenly, though, he realized that he'd better go intervene.

"Lee, Mom, it's ok. You can holster your guns." Jaime said as he walked down the hallway.

The confused look on Lee and Amanda's faces bemused Dotty and Phillip. Jaime found it a little funny but he could also see the worry that this might be a set up.

"It's ok, I promise. We're safe. I just got entranced watching the way the two of you work together entering the house. I've had my eye on these two keeping them safe." Jaime said.

"This nice woman you work with arranged all of this," Dotty said.

Lee and Amanda looked at each other and Jaime still wondering if this was some kind of trap.

"Really, you two need to calm down. It's ok. The woman with the chimpanzee gave me this to give to you Lee."

Amanda breathed a sigh of relief and started laughing. "Really, Amanda, I don't know why I ever went along with that tall-tale. I guess all that training at the agency helped you develop better lies."

"Well, I think the cover of the film agency helped, but I still hated it. I tried to keep the lies closer to the truth."

"Chimpanzee?" Lee asked his wife.

"Need to know Scarecrow," Amanda replied.

Lee pulled a picture of Francine out of the envelope and read the note on the back,

 _"Payback. It seems I've kept a secret from you. Enjoy the cabin with the family. I gave Jaime information on the security measures I had installed. There's also a box in the car for you- do what you want with it. All of the files with two exceptions are declassified. But as victims, your family has the right to view the two classified reports. My biggest regret is that I won't be able to see the look on your face when my shrouded plan for your sabbatical dawns on you. (Of course, you're off the grid, so you can't call to chew me out either.) And I would've loved your reaction when you realize that I, yes I, Francine Desmond-Bridges, have a cabin deep in the woods. I never would have imagined it either but I hope you will find it a relaxing getaway as much as I do. Look around you Lee, you deserve this. I'm just so happy for both of you. Consider it a wedding present. I know it's not quite camping, but there is a big tent in the car if you really want the full experience of a week-long camping trip."_

He sighed in relief. "Francine," he exclaimed while handing the note over to his wife. "Who would have thought that our little pre-Madonna would have a remote cabin in the woods." As his wife read the note, he took Francine's advice and looked around the room. Together with his family on vacation in the woods, he couldn't wipe the ever widening grin off his face.

He sat down, "So, how long have you three been here? You all have some explaining to do. Given the safety precautions Francine seems to have used, I imagine this was a shock for you all as well. Jaime did you meet them in Fort Smith? Did you really fly to Fort Smith? And you two, I thought you flew in somewhere else. So how on earth did we wind up here?" They were all smiling at him. Without even taking a breath, he continued, "Oh listen to me, I'm rambling on. Is this what it's like to be a part of this family? But, I really do want to hear this story. Knowing Francine, this should be good."

After reading Francine's letter, Amanda sighed as she looked over at her husband. She'd never seen him so calm, content, and still. She realized he was completely still. She always wondered if he'd ever find complete peace. The loner had a family once again.

As the threesome begun to share how their day had gone, Lee and Amanda marveled at the lengths Francine went to make this trip happen and they had to admit that neither could think of anything they would have done differently to keep the family safe. Yet, Francine had certainly managed to surprise them. What a family story this would be!

After they had all completed the missing pieces to each other's puzzle, Jaime changed the subject. "I was dying to ask this the other day on the phone. I'm guessing by all this that things must have gone ok when you fessed up to your marriage at work. How did it go?"

Amanda smiled, "It wasn't easy to tell them as they've been great friends over the years and two of our biggest supporters. Apparently, Mr. Melrose already knew we were married and has kept it a secret for quite some time. Francine was shocked and I have to imagine hurt because we hadn't told her. But clearly, she's forgiven us. They were actually more concerned with how the three of you were doing."

"But what about work? Are they going to make you quit?" Phillip asked.

"No, they won't force us," Lee said. "Right now, they are the only two that know about our marriage and they recognize that we've been able to work all these years without our marriage being a hindrance. But, if we continue working, our secrets have to be kept from everyone else. Your mom and I never really considered our options if we weren't yanked from the field. It's something we want to talk with you all about. But apparently we have some time to mull it over- as a family."

"What do you two want to do?" Dotty asked.

"Honestly, we have some ideas, but after talking about it before getting assigned the Shrouded Sabbatical case, Francine's funny, isn't she? We realized that we wanted to discuss it all with you all. Let's spend some time just catching up and hanging out. And, I'm sure you all have questions for us. Then we can talk about the future of our careers later."

Jaime asked Lee if he wanted to check out the security. "Hey worm brain, you'd love all the super secret spy stuff, do you want a briefing as well?"

"Jaime, don't call you brother a worm brain," Lee retorted using the same sing-song pattern of speech he'd heard his wife use so many times. But, Lee's ever widening smile betrayed his rebuke as the men went to go check out all the techie security Francine had installed.

Amanda's eyes followed her husband out the room before she began to think about dinner, "mom, do you want to help me figure out what we're going to feed that crew tonight?" Dotty followed Amanda into the kitchen.


	9. Chapter 9

At dinner they talked about some of the things they'd like to do on their vacation. Lee and the boys really wanted to get plenty of fishing in. For Amanda, spending some time catching up with her mother was her highest priority. When they'd finished eating, they gathered around the box that Lee had brought in from the car.

"Francine packed some cases she thought you all might be interested in. All but two are declassified, but as victims in those cases, you have the right to see them. It still doesn't mean you can share the details of these other cases- because we still have to keep our family secrets," Amanda explained.

"Ms. West, Mom," Lee corrected himself, "I know you love spy novels. Your daughter has solved many cases with some idea sparked by a book you or she was reading at the time. You'll love this one, that's the case where we met. The one with the so called Ms. Welch. Just keep in mind, I had no idea just what a jewel I'd found in your daughter."

"Lee, I never asked you this and I've thought about asking several times since you and mom told us your secrets. Was that you at the gym that day when that guy tried to kidnap us?"

Lee smiled, "yeah. Francine actually brought that case. Your dad really helped the people of Estacio in that case."

"My dad?"

"Yup." Lee laughed, "And I ended up drugging the Prime Minister on accident, well I did it deliberately but it was by accident. I didn't know it was the Prime Minister. But you won't read that in the case file. That case is right here. It's still confidential because it involves you all."

Dotty and the boys took some time to look over the cases and ask questions that they'd been wanting to ask. Lee and Amanda willingly answered every question honestly only keeping from them what remained classified. It was difficult to talk about how they'd been assigned a case that a good friend had begun years ago in England in 2011- how they hadn't been around to help stop the terrorist attacks. But, as Amanda told them about Emily Farnsworth, or at least a little bit about her, she made them laugh when she told them how the agency had fixed the grocery store contest that sent them to Munich. They talked for hours on end. Yet, it didn't feel like the interrogation that Lee thought it would have been like. Instead it was like catching up with family and friends. He was beginning to feel just what it was like to be a part of his family.

Late that night, after everyone else had retired to bed, Amanda was washing some dishes when Lee snuck outside. He tapped on the back door window and watched as Amanda smiled. She tip-toed out the door in exaggerated steps as if she was sneaking around. Lee wrapped his arms around her kissing her. "Hey," he said huskily. "It's been a long time since I got to do that."

"Too long," she smiled as Lee lead her over to the porch swing. As she curled into Lee, she thought about all the things that had happened since she'd first met him. In her husband's arms with her secrets out in the open with her family and her closest friends, she felt a peace she'd never really known.

Lee laughed lightly as he heard a train off in the distance. "I can't believe I'm sitting her with my wife as my family sleeps inside. I thought this day would never come- like it was just a distant train I could never catch."

"You know we were destined for this very moment when there were all those red hats."


End file.
